Lessonobjectives Cognitive: Students will learn about the value of sacrificial love, or living for the sake of others. Affective: Students will be moved by this tender story of sibling love. They will feel inspired to have this kind of relationship with family members and friends. Behavioral: Students will describe examples of sacrificial love in their own lives and families. They will list ways they can show sacrificial love in their families. They will plan a service project. Class Session 1 Tell students that the class will be reading this story together, so have them turn to the right page. Introduce the story by saying that it is a legend from the land of Israel. Show them where Israel is on a map.
Call on students to read a few lines at a time as you read the story together. After reading the story, ask students if they enjoyed it, and why. Ask students if they think the two brothers will ever go hungry as long as they have each other. Ask if the big family that pulled out the turnip will ever go hungry. Mention that we know the villagers in “Stone Soup” will never go hungry as long as they have each other and a stone!
Point out that this story has “In Unity, There Is Strength” as its motto, moral, or theme. Explain that when people work together and help each other, they can do many things they could never do alone. People need each other's support and help. That is why we have families, neighbors, communities, and nations. We should all work together to make things better for everyone.
Explain that, in order to work together and help each other, it takes some sacrifice on each person’s part. Ask students if they know what “sacrifice” means. Listen to their answers and explain that when you sacrifice, you give something up that you want or need for yourself, for the sake of someone else. Ask students to explain how the brothers sacrificed for each other.
Make the point that when everyone gives something, it adds up to something big enough to take care of everyone.
Then ask if they can describe examples of sacrifice in their own families. Ask them if they have ever sacrificed something for someone else. Listen to their responses. Then say, “How do you feel when you give up something for someone else? Does it make you feel good? Maybe you don’t feel good at first, because it’s hard to give up something you want or need for yourself. But eventually you feel better, especially when you see how you made the other person so happy!”
Call on a student to read the sentence, “The brothers then laughed and cried together, hugging, when they realized how kind the other one was.” Conclude by telling students that if everyone in the world treated each other with such kindness, it would be a much nicer world. Tell students that this story will help us remember to try to do something every day for the sake of others, and in this way, we will make the world a better place for everyone.
Ask students to read and respond to the Exercise in their student books.
Exercise What do you do to show your family members that you love them? What do they do for you? Make a list of additional things you can do to show your family you love them, and try to do one extra nice thing every day.
Class Session 2 Ask the students to read the story on their own and to answer the questions at the end. Before they read, define the following vocabulary: inherited, portions, crescent moon, sheaves, income, and temple. Questions
1. Why did the younger brother want to help his older brother?
2. Why did the older brother want to help his younger brother?
3. How did they discover who was delivering the sheaves of wheat at night?
4. Would you like to have brothers like the ones in the story? Why?
Divide students into groups of three or four. Ask each group to make up and present a play to the class about a story similar to this. It should take place in modern times. After giving the students time to make up and practice their plays, have each group come to the front of the room and perform.
Ask students what they could share with someone else, like the brothers in the story. This could turn into a service project. If they don’t have material resources, explain that they have youth and energy. Since elderly people don’t have those things anymore, perhaps the class could plan a visit to an elderly persons’ nursing home or hospital wing, or to elderly shut-ins.
Cognitive: Students will learn about the value of sacrificial love, or living for the sake of others.
Affective: Students will be moved by this tender story of sibling love. They will feel inspired to have this kind of relationship with family members and friends.
Behavioral: Students will describe examples of sacrificial love in their own lives and families. They will list ways they can show sacrificial love in their families. They will plan a service project.
Class Session 1
Tell students that the class will be reading this story together, so have them turn to the right page. Introduce the story by saying that it is a legend from the land of Israel. Show them where Israel is on a map.
Call on students to read a few lines at a time as you read the story together. After reading the story, ask students if they enjoyed it, and why. Ask students if they think the two brothers will ever go hungry as long as they have each other. Ask if the big family that pulled out the turnip will ever go hungry. Mention that we know the villagers in “Stone Soup” will never go hungry as long as they have each other and a stone!
Point out that this story has “In Unity, There Is Strength” as its motto, moral, or theme. Explain that when people work together and help each other, they can do many things they could never do alone. People need each other's support and help. That is why we have families, neighbors, communities, and nations. We should all work together to make things better for everyone.
Explain that, in order to work together and help each other, it takes some sacrifice on each person’s part. Ask students if they know what “sacrifice” means. Listen to their answers and explain that when you sacrifice, you give something up that you want or need for yourself, for the sake of someone else. Ask students to explain how the brothers sacrificed for each other.
Make the point that when everyone gives something, it adds up to something big enough to take care of everyone.
Then ask if they can describe examples of sacrifice in their own families. Ask them if they have ever sacrificed something for someone else. Listen to their responses.
Then say, “How do you feel when you give up something for someone else? Does it make you feel good? Maybe you don’t feel good at first, because it’s hard to give up something you want or need for yourself. But eventually
you feel better, especially when you see how you made the other person so happy!”
Call on a student to read the sentence, “The brothers then laughed and cried together, hugging, when they realized how kind the other one was.” Conclude by telling students that if everyone in the world treated each other with such kindness, it would be a much nicer world. Tell students that this story will help us remember to try to do something every day for the sake of others, and in this way, we will make the world a better place for everyone.
Ask students to read and respond to the Exercise in their student books.
Exercise
What do you do to show your family members that you love them? What do they do for you? Make a list of additional things you can do to show your family you love them, and try to do one extra nice thing every day.
Class Session 2
Ask the students to read the story on their own and to answer the questions at the end. Before they read, define the following vocabulary: inherited, portions, crescent moon, sheaves, income, and temple.
Questions
1. Why did the younger brother want to help his older brother?
2. Why did the older brother want to help his younger brother?
3. How did they discover who was delivering the sheaves of wheat at night?
4. Would you like to have brothers like the ones in the story? Why?
Divide students into groups of three or four. Ask each group to make up and present a play to the class about a story similar to this. It should take place in modern times. After giving the students time to make up and practice their plays, have each group come to the front of the room and perform.
Ask students what they could share with someone else, like the brothers in the story. This could turn into a service project. If they don’t have material resources, explain that they have youth and energy. Since elderly people don’t have those things anymore, perhaps the class could plan a visit to an elderly persons’ nursing home or hospital wing, or to elderly shut-ins.